Some links of interest:
http://www.autism.org/marijuana.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/03/05/48hours/main503022 .shtml
And a testimony that paricularly moved me:
http://www.ukcia.org/medical/showmedicaltestimony.php?articl eid=220
I am a college student who was diagnosed with AS years ago, with a mother who knew of nearly every technique for autism treatment. Despite this, I still have many problems with communication and coordination. I have overcome many other problems, most importantly self-destructive behavior towards myself and occasional violence towards others. But every day I still worry about where my life is headed, and if I'll really be able to live on my own, not so much because of the responsibility but because of the loneliness.
Last weekend, I tried a binaural beat generation program which uses sound in a form of self-hypnosis. It can be used for many applications including headache relief, for meditation, or as a sleep aid. One of the more controversial uses is to emulate the effects of various illegal substances, including marijuana. After reading the above articles I decided the risk was much less than the potential benefit and gave it a shot. The effects exactly matched those of marijuana based on both articles and a handful of online conversations I've had. However, the biggest surprises came after the session.
The result of the treatment was nothing less than a miracle, and the effects were beyond what I could have even conceived. Nearly every problem I have dealt with has been alleviated to some extent. My social skills are far better than what they were. Even though at times I would be talkative, I would often trip up in the middle of what I was saying, and I never felt I was making meaningful conversation with anyone. Since I've started using the treatment last week, I've had several in-depth conversations lasting 15-20 minutes or even longer. The content of those conversations has completely changed because now I'll choose what to say on an emotional basis. (the third article explains this very well) For once I've been able to move people emotionally through conversation, not just through simple jokes which I'm occasionally good at. I've made people laugh before, but now I actually have the ability to noticeably make others happy. While one of the most well-known of marijuana use is forgetfulness, I have noticed that my memory has actually improved dramatically. Also, I'll have memories of past experiences, which has helped immensely with making conversation. Previously the majority of my recollections were simply 'data'. It seems like every aspect of my memory is improved. If it has been reduced, my /application/ of memory is
so much better that it seems like a vast improvement. The improved communication skills have been very useful for my education as well, as I'm taking a Japanese class which I initially excelled at because of my photographic
memory, but by this point I've started to fall behind in some areas. This past week I've had no problems with the conversational part of Japanese, where as previously on my worst days I would often clam up completely while reciting dialogue.
I can also attribute my improved social skills to a reduction in my hypersensitivity. Now I find physical sensation to be much more pleasant and perhaps this relates to the social element, because I find myself 'craving' emotional connections with people, although it is not a blind craving either. I know some autistic people are not shy at all but they can have poor judgement when talking to people. While that improvement alone has been a godsend, I have also noticed many improvements in my coordination. While listening to the audio file, I felt a sensation as if my body was being sucked out of itself, while somehow being pleasant and not a painful feeling. I've come to realize this feeling was nothing to do with a 'trip'. Rather, before last week I lacked the ability to 'sense' the location of my arms and legs. Perceptually I must've just had a body 'center' or 'core' where all my sensation of self resided. This would also explain my frequent numbness to pain, despite the agonizing stomach cramps I would often have. I would also go so far to say that my reflexes are even better than the average person's now. Maybe this relates to an improved peripheral vision, as the 'tunnel vision' often associated with autism has been toned down for me as well.
I can also multitask now in some rather remarkable ways. I was able to recite dialogue in Japanese for my class, while simultaneously seeing if I could transfer the same dialogue to text. I was even able to recall symbols I wasn't even aware that I had committed to memory. Managing this feat requires being able to listen and communicate simultaneously, as well as making the movements to write on paper, while also recalling from my photographic memory with my mind's eye. I couldn't believe that I was able to do so much at once and not lose pace with any
single one of those tasks.
I also was talking to someone with a TV in the room, and I realized my attention was focused on the TV and was worried I just missed what the person had said. But then I realized I took in what he had said as well and didn't miss a beat in that regard.
Although I will still have occasional irrational compulsions, as a whole I have been able to keep myself from wasting time with meaningless activities I normally would've have done for an hour or more. For example, my studies would suffer when working on the computer because I would often go to check message boards online and was compelled to check most of the links. Now I'll use much more discretion, or even quit entirely because I'm more aware of the time I'd waste. I would also do the same with Wikipedia, as entries will often lead to other related entries. Considering the amount of research I've had to do since last week, I would say that problem is as good as solved.
Lastly, another problem with AS and possibly other forms of autism is a cycle of incontinence/diarrhea or intense stomach cramps. I haven't had a problem with this since. I assume that's because my entire body is less tense, including my stomach and intestines. When I do use the bathroom, I'll find it lasts minutes rather than a half-hour or so, which was another huge problem when it came up in school.
I don't know if this will apply to everyone, but I think you owe it to your children to take this into consideration. I can send a copy of the MP3 I used to anyone who's interested, just send me an e-mail. The treatment works best with headphones, so keep that in mind if your child is sensitive to sound, or to the sensation of headphones on their head. It may work with stereo speakers but in that case it's important to play it in a very quiet environment. Also, the file is over 30 megabytes, so if your connection is slow you may be better off getting the program and preset which together are under a megabyte. The program can be downloaded here:
http://www.bwgen.com/
The problem with that is you need to register in order to load any custom preset such as the one I used. There are places to download it for free but obviously I can't tell you how to find these.
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